英國(guó)文學(xué)

Unit

15TheWasteLand

IntroductiontoEliot

ThomasStearnsEliotOM(26September1888–4January1965)wasanessayist,publisher,playwright,literaryandsocialcriticand"oneofthetwentiethcentury'smajorpoets."BorninSt.Louis,MissouriintheUnitedStates,hemovedtotheUnitedKingdomin1914(atage25)andwasnaturalizedasaBritishsubjectin1927atage39.EliotattractedwidespreadattentionforhispoemTheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrock(1915),whichisseenasamasterpieceoftheModernistmovement.

Itwasfollowedbysomeofthebest-knownpoemsintheEnglishlanguage,includingTheWasteLand(1922),TheHollowMen(1925),AshWednesday(1930)andFourQuartets(1945).[2]Heisalsoknownforhissevenplays,particularlyMurderintheCathedral(1935).

InOctober1922,EliotpublishedTheWasteLandinTheCriterion.Eliot'sdedicationtoillmigliorfabbro("thebettercraftsman")referstoEzraPound'ssignificanthandineditingandreshapingthepoemfromalongerEliotmanuscripttotheshortenedversionthatappearsinpublication.ItwascomposedduringaperiodofpersonaldifficultyforEliot—hismarriagewasfailing,andbothheandVivienneweresufferingfromnervousdisorders.Thepoemisoftenreadasarepresentationofthedisillusionmentofthepost-wargeneration.Beforethepoem'spublicationasabookinDecember1922,Eliotdistancedhimselffromitsvisionofdespair.On15November1922,hewrotetoRichardAldington,saying,"AsforTheWasteLand,thatisathingofthepastsofarasIamconcernedandIamnowfeelingtowardanewformandstyle."Thepoemisknownforitsobscurenature—itsslippagebetweensatireandprophesy;itsabruptchangesofspeaker,location,andtime.Despitethis,ithasbecomeatouchstoneofmodernliterature,apoeticcounterparttoanovelpublishedinthesameyear,JamesJoyce'sUlysses.Amongitsbest-knownphrasesare"Aprilisthecruelestmonth","Iwillshowyoufearinahandfulofdust"and"Shantihshantihshantih".TheSanskritmantraendsthepoem.

SummaryofTheWasteLand

TheWasteLand

beginswithasectionentitled"TheBurialoftheDead."Init,thenarrator--perhapsarepresentationofEliothimself--describestheseasons.Springbrings"memoryanddesire,"andsothenarrator'smemorydriftsbacktotimesinMunich,tochildhoodsledrides,andtoapossibleromancewitha"hyacinthgirl."Thememoriesonlygosofar,however.Thenarratorisnowsurroundedbyadesolatelandfullof"stonyrubbish."

Heremembersafortune-tellernamedMadameSosostris

whosaidhewas"thedrownedPhoenicianSailor"andthatheshould"feardeathbywater."NexthefindshimselfonLondonBridge,surroundedbyacrowdofpeople.Hespotsafriendofhisfromwartime,andcallsouttohim.

UnderthebrownfogofawinterdawnAcrowdflowedoverLondonbridge,somany一群人流過(guò)倫敦橋，呵，這么多我沒(méi)有想到死亡毀滅了這么多人

Thenextsection,"AGameofChess,"transportsthereaderabruptlyfromthestreetsofLondontoagildeddrawingroom,inwhichsitsarich,jewel-bedeckedladywhocomplainsabouthernervesandwonderswhattodo.Thepoemdriftsagain,thistimetoapubatclosingtimeinwhichtwoCockneywomengossip.Withinafewstanzas,wehavemovedfromtheuppercrustofsocietytoLondon'slow-life.

"TheFireSermon"openswithanimageofariver.Thenarratorsitsonthebanksandmusesonthedeplorablestateoftheworld.AsTiresias,heseesayoung"carbuncular"manhopintobedwithalonelyfemaletypist,onlytoaggressivelymakelovetoherandthenleavewithouthesitation.Thepoemreturnstotheriver,wheremaidenssingasongoflament,oneofthemcryingoverherlossofinnocencetoasimilarlylustfulman.

"DeathbyWater,"thefourthsectionofthepoem,describesadeadPhoenicianlyinginthewater--perhapsthesamedrownedsailorofwhomMadameSosostrisspoke."WhattheThunderSaid"shiftslocalesfromtheseatorocksandmountains.Thenarratorcriesforrain,anditfinallycomes.Thethunderthataccompaniesitushersin

thethree-prongeddictumsprungfromthe

BrihadaranyakaUpanishad:"Datta,dayadhvam,damyata":togive,tosympathize,tocontrol.Withthesecommandments,benedictionispossible,despitethecollapseofcivilizationthatisunderway--"Londonbridgeisfallingdownfallingdownfallingdown.

TranslationofTheWasteLand

TheBurialofTheDeadAprilisthecruelestmonth,breedingLilacsoutofthedeadland,mixingMemoryanddesire,stirringDullrootswithspringrain.Winterkeptuswarm,coveringEarthinforgetfulsnow,feedingAlittlelifewithdriedtubers.

死者的葬禮四月最殘忍，從死了的土地滋生丁香，混雜著回憶和欲望，讓春雨挑動(dòng)著呆鈍的根。冬天保我們溫暖，把大地埋在忘懷的雪里，使干了的

FallingtowersJerusalemAthensAlexandriaViennaLondonunreal倒下的樓閣呵耶路撒冷、雅典、亞歷山大、

維也納、倫敦

呵，不真實(shí)的AnanalysisofTheWasteLand

Eliot’sopeningquotationsetsthetoneforthepoemasawhole.SibylisamythologicalfigurewhoaskedApollo“forasmanyyearsoflifeastherearegrainsinahandfulofsand”(North,3).Unfortunately,shedidnotthinktoaskforeverlastingyouth.Asaresult,sheisdoomedtodecayforyearsandyears,andpreservesherselfwithinajar.Havingaskedforsomethingakintoeternallife,shefindsthatwhatshemostwantsisdeath.Deathaloneoffersescape;deathalonepromisestheend,andthereforeanewbeginning.ThusdoesEliotbeginhismagisterialpoem,labelinghisfirstsection“TheBurialoftheDead,”atitlepulledfromtheAnglicanBookofCommonPrayer.Hehasbeencarefultolayouthiscentralthemebeforethefirststanzahasevenbegun:deathandlifeareeasilyblurred;fromdeathcanspringlife,andlifeinturnnecessitatesdeath.CleanthBrooks,Jr.,in“TheWasteLand:AnAnalysis,”seesthepoem’sengineasaparadox:“Lifedevoidofmeaningisdeath;sacrifice,eventhesacrificialdeath,maybelife-giving,anawakingtolife.Eliot’svisionisofadecrepitlandinhabitedbypersonswholanguishinanin-betweenstate,perhapsakintothatofDante’sLimbo:theylive,butinsofarastheyseemtofeelnothingandaspiretonothing,theyaredead.EliotoncearticulatedhisphilosophyconcerningthesemattersinapieceofcriticismonBaudelaire,oneofhischiefpoeticinfluences:init,Eliotintimatedthatitmaybebettertodoevilthantodonothingatall--thatatleastsomeformofactionmeansthatoneexists.Thiscriterionforexistence,perhapsanantecedenttoExistentialism,holdsactionasinherentlymeaningful.Inactionisequatedwithwaste.Thekeyimagein"TheWasteLand"maythenbeSosostris’svisionof“crowdsofpeople,walkingroundinaring.”Theywalkandwalk,butgonowhere.Likewise,theinhabitantsofmodernLondonkeeptheireyesfixedtotheirfeet;theirdestinationmatterslittletothemandtheyflowasanunthinkingmass,bedeckingthemetropolisinapathy.

Fromthisthicketofmalaise,thenarratorclingstomemoriesthatwouldseemtosuggestlifeinallitsvibrancyandwonder:summerraininMunich,coffeeinaGermanpark,agirlwearingflowers.Whatiscrucialtothepoem’ssensibility,however,istherecognitionthateventhesetripstothepast,eventheseattemptstoregainhappiness,mustendinfailureorconfusion.Identitiesareinflux.TheHofgartenmemoryprecipitatesaflurryofGerman:“BingarkeineRussin,stamm’ausLitauen,echtdeutsch.”Translated,thislinereadsroughlyas:“I’mnotRussianatall;IcomefromLithuania,atrueGerman.”Itisnotclearwhothespeakeris,butwhateverthecasethelineisnonsensical;threedistinctregionsofEuropearementioned,thoughLithuaniaarguablyhasfarmoretodowithRussiathanwithGermany.Thesentenceitselfdependsonanonsequitur,anticipatingbyalmostacenturyEurope’scurrentcrisisofidentity,withindividualnationsslowlylosinggroundtoacollectiveunion.InEliot’stime,thatcontinentwasjustemergingfromthewreckageofWorldWarI,asplinteredentityteeteringonchaos;Germany,inparticular,sufferedfromasevereidentitydilemma,withvariousfactionscompetingforauthority,classesthatweredistrustfulofoneanother,andtheoldbreedofmilitarystrong-menitchingtorenewitselffortheblood-drencheddecadestocome.

Thehistoricalconsiderationswillonlygosofar.Biographicalinterpretationisaslipperyslope,butitshouldnonethelessbenotedthatEliotwas,atthetimeofthepoem’scomposition,sufferingfromacutenervousailments,chiefamongthemsevereanxiety.Itwasduringhistimeofrecuperationthathewasabletowritemuchof"TheWasteLand,"buthisconflictedfeelingsabouthiswife,Vivienne,didnotmuchhelphisstateofmind.Theambiguityoflove,thepotentialofthatemotiontocausebothgreatjoyandgreatsorrow,informsthepassageinvolvingthehyacinthgirl–anotherfailedmemory,asitwere.Inthiscase,EliotdescribesavisionofyouthfulbeautyinapieceofwritingthatseemsatfirsttostemmorefromEnglishRomanticismthanfromthearidmodernworldoftherestofthepoem:“Yourarmsfull,andyourhairwet.”Water,socherishedanelementandsolackinginthisdesolatewasteland,herebringsforthflowersandhyacinthgirls,andthepossibilityofhappiness,howeverfleeting.Thatveryvision,however,causesEliot’seyestofail,hisspeechtoforsakehim;

overendershimimpotent,andheisleft“neitherlivingnordead”–muchliketheaforementionedresidentsofLimbo.Theparadoxisthatsuchjoyandhumanwarmthmightelicitsuchpainandcoldness.Eliotsumsitupwiththeline:“Lookingintotheheartoflight,thesilence.”UsingWagner’sTristanundIsoldeasabook-enddevice–-thefirstsuchquotationalludingtothebeginningsoflove,theseconddescribingthetragedyofalovelost–-Eliottracesaswiftpassagefromlighttodarkness,soundtosilence,movementtostasis.(Tristanbeginsonaboat,withthewindfreshlyblowing,andendsontheshoreline,awaitingaboatthatnevercomes.)

Itisappropriate,then,thatthenarratorshouldturnnexttoaclairvoyant;aftergazinguponthepast,henowseekstointothefuture.Water,giveroflife,becomesatokenofdeath:thenarratorisnoneotherthanthedrownedPhoenicianSailor,andhemust“feardeathbywater.”ThisrealizationpavesthewayforthefamousLondonBridgeimage.EliotdoesnotevendescribethewateroftheThames;hesaveshisverseforthefogthatfloatsoverhead,forthequalityofthedawn-litsky,andforthefacelessmassofmenswarmingthroughthedeadcity.BorrowingheavilyfromBaudelaire’svisionsofParis,EliotpaintsaportraitofLondonasahaunted(orhaunting)specter,wheretheonlysoundis“dead”andnomandaresevenlookbeyondtheconfinesofhisfeet.

WhenthenarratorseesStetson,wereturntotheprospectofhistory.WorldWarIisreplacedbythePunicWar;withthisoddchoice,Eliotseemstobearguingthatallwarsarethesame,justashesuggeststhatallmenarethesameinthestanza’sfinalline:“You!hypocritelecteur!–monsemblable,–monfrère!”:“Hypocritereader!–mylikeness,–mybrother!”WeareallStetson;Eliotisspeakingdirectlytous.Individualfacesblurintotheill-definedmassofhumanityastheburialprocessioninexorablyproceeds.Naturalism

Naturalism

wasaliterarymovementtakingplacefromthe1880sto1940sthatuseddetailed

realism

tosuggestthatsocial